


Chance Encounter

by Backonmybullshit



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Developing Relationship, F/F, Female Friendship, Flirting, Kissing, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:37:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Backonmybullshit/pseuds/Backonmybullshit
Summary: A romantic, non-con, alternative universe where Lou and Debbie are regular AF but still find each other!





	1. Wednesday Lunchtime

It was Wednesday around lunchtime. It could have been any other Wednesday to Lou Miller. Wednesdays were one of her elected days off. Being co-owner of a restaurant, she could have chosen to take any day off. Having Wednesdays off was just a habit of hers from when she was a Sous-Chef. It also meant she could avoid a certain someone at the restaurant who worked every Wednesday.

“Are you sure you don’t want to have lunch at the restaurant today? Mr. Miller is here.” 

“No, Amita,” the blond woman sighed in response, an unlit cigarette hung between her lips. “That’s exactly why I don’t want to have lunch there today.” She held the phone against her ear with her left hand while locking her apartment door with her right. 

Amita was manager of the wait staff at Lou's restaurant. She was also a very outspoken friend who always made it a point to meddle in lou's personal life, including family relationships. “Alright then, but don’t come crying to me when Mr. Miller refuses to talk to you again." 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,”. She wasn’t worried about the fickle grumpiness of her adoptive dad, Alan. The old geezer may always look angry, but Lou knew he cared. “Just give me a call if there are any emergencies. Bye.” She ended the call before facing any further attempts to make her feel guilty.

Checking the apartment door handle to make sure it was securely locked; Lou put her phone away in the pocket of her dark blue blazer and made her way to the stairwell. She lived on the third floor of an upscale apartment building in a well-established part of the city. The neighborhood was ideal for her since it was pretty quiet at night and there was a locally owned grocery store with regularly stocked fresh produce nearby.

As soon as she was outside the building, Lou lit her cigarette and took a long drag. Lunch came to mind again. It wasn’t that the food at the restaurant was bad, of course. She personally created the menu herself. It was just that the last place she wanted to be on her day off was at work. Besides, there was a sandwich shop down the street from her apartment that she wanted to check out after it was highly recommended by her friend, Constance.

…

It was Wednesday around lunchtime. It could have been any other weekday to Debbie as she sat, staring at the computer screen but not really paying attention to anything. She had already completed her list of work for the day by 10am. Now she was bored and scrolling through the classifieds on a news website.

Debbie didn’t really mind working as a broadcast meteorologist. Her job was to gather data and create the weather forecast for the local news sources. This responsibility didn’t solely fall on her shoulders, either. Despite knowing that she was more knowledgeable than any of them, Debbie worked with a small team who were mostly tolerable… Actually, everyone was pretty nice except for a certain television broadcaster who reveled in flaunting her popularity.

Daphne was a young woman with bright hazel eyes and lush, brown hair that belonged more on a famous female celebrity than on a local TV weather girl. When Debbie first met her, the woman had complimented her on her beauty. Then she went into a long explanation about how she was much more beautiful than her. After the explanation, she proceeded to threaten that if she were to ever get any “crazy” ideas of trying to take her place as the TV weather presenter, she would find a way to make sure she never worked in meteorology again. Thankfully, Debbie had no desire to be on TV, so Daphne had nothing to worry about. It still didn’t make her any less annoying though.

With her chin resting in her left hand, Debbie blew a strand of her brown hair out of her face and continued to scroll through the classifieds. AKC registered Yorkies for sale, a rebuilt grand piano for sale at the same price. Debbie sighed, starting to feel hungry. Her eyes shifted to the corner of her screen. 12:30pm already? Switching off her monitor, she figured it was time for lunch and quickly went through her options. She decided to go to the sandwich shop again. It was only three blocks away and they knew her pretty well.


	2. The Cafe

The sandwich shop was called The Mermaid Café. It was a small establishment that not only sold soup and sandwiches, but also smoothies, desserts, and freshly baked bread. It was only open until 4pm on weekdays and closed on the weekends. Lou was surprised that she had never noticed the place. Then again, her work didn’t really allow her time to wander the neighborhood during the day and she was usually busy doing her laundry on Wednesdays.

As she approached the café, Lou observed that all of the tables outside were occupied. Was this place really that popular? She checked her phone for the time. 12:45pm already? It was probably still their lunch rush. This meant that she would have to get her food to go… not that she wanted to sit in a crowded café by herself.

Opening the door, Lou saw that there was already a line to order. She almost turned around and left but figured Constance wouldn’t stop bugging her until she at least tried the food once. Taking a glance at the menu board, there were plenty of options to order from without being too overwhelming. The prices were a little high, but that was the same anywhere in the neighborhood.

Deciding on a turkey, bacon, and spinach panini, Lou's attention shifted to the line in front of her. It appeared that there were maybe three or four people in front of her now. She couldn’t tell exactly since the place was crowded. Not too much longer of a wait, though.

Suddenly, there was a buzzing from the phone belonging to the man in front of her. “Hey Hun… No, I thought we were meeting at the café.” He raked his fingers through his wavy black hair. “Well, just wait. I’ll be right there.” Lou thought she could hear a woman protesting on the other end when the man hung up on her. He turned to Lou as he started to get out of the line. “Go ahead, my girlfriend decided to meet somewhere else for lunch.”

“Oh, thank you,” Lou murmured. The guy was already halfway out the door. Facing forward again, Lou noticed a young lady directly in front of her. Her long, fiery brown hair was perfectly complemented by a short, navy blue trench coat. A black pencil skirt with a short slit in the back ran to just above her knees. From what Lou could tell, the lady didn’t appear to be wearing stockings, but she did have some very nice legs that ran into a pair of red high heels.

Hearing her sigh, Lou realized that she was completely checking her out and quickly brought her eyes forward again. For a second, Lou feared that she caught her red-handed, but she was still looking ahead towards the order counter. When she rolled her shoulders back, Lou suppressed the urge to rub them for her. She shook the inappropriate thought from her head. Wtf you don't even know her!!

Checking out women from behind could lead to trouble. Just because she looked perfect from behind didn’t mean that she would be beautiful. And even if this lady did end up being beautiful, that didn’t necessarily mean she would be a nice person.

Lou took a deep breath and decided that she couldn’t form any opinion of the lady until she was able to judge her character, beautiful or not. She nodded once and tried to stand firm. Then she approached the counter to place her order. Her voice was so friendly with the male cashier. Lou couldn’t make out what she was saying over the rest of the noise in the café, but when she heard her laugh, she felt her heart beating loudly against her chest.

The lady completed her order, paid, and left a decent tip. When she turned around, Lou's breath caught in her throat. “Beautiful” couldn’t even begin to describe her. Shakespeare came to mind. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I never saw true beauty till this night…” or however it went. Romeo and Juliet wasn’t the best of Shakespeare’s works, but the line was romantic. Why the hell was Lou worrying about Shakespeare for right now anyways? There was an actual goddess standing in front of her.

“Oops! Sorry,” she smiled as she nearly bumped right into her. Long eyelashes fluttered as her soft brown eyes met hers. There was a light, rosy glow to her cheeks. Was she blushing at her? “Please excuse me,” she smirked as she squeezed past Lou, her body brushing against her arm as she passed, and walked towards the pick-up counter.

Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Lou watched the woman walk away from her, brown hair bouncing, and a smile still on her face. It was as if she were a model in a music video with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 playing in the background. Lou, on the other hand, was completely dumbstruck and unable to move. Faintly, in the distance, she could hear the cashier from behind the counter. “Ma'am? Are you ready to order?”

Lou finally turned to look at the young male cashier. “Huh?” she blinked a few times. “Oh… yeah…” What was she going to order again?

…

Debbie stood in line at The Mermaid Café, waiting to order. This place was always busy at lunchtime. It was also a bit pricey, but the food was definitely worth it. They also did half orders, which meant half the price. Debbie could never finish a whole order anyways.

“Hey hun… No, I thought we were meeting at the café.” She could hear the man behind her on his phone. “Well, just wait. I’ll be right there.” Debbie smirked. He was probably talking to his girlfriend. She then heard him speak to the person behind him in line. “Go ahead, my girlfriend decided to meet somewhere else for lunch.” Debbie bit back a smile. Of course she was right. She was always right. Poor guy. There was probably going to be hell to pay.

Looking up at the menu board again, Debbie was trying to decide between the chicken cordon bleu wrap and the turkey, bacon, and spinach panini. At least the panini had spinach in it. She needed more vegetables in her diet. She would also order her usual small orange sunrise smoothie. There were other fruits in there, plus vitamin C and an immunity booster… or something like that. All that she cared about was the orange part and that it was delicious.

Shifting her focus forwards again, Debbie couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was checking her out. She let out a sigh. It wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last. With an amused smile, she decided to give them a little show. Stretching her neck to one side and then the other, she rolled her shoulders back. It felt good after sitting all morning at her desk. Strange though, that move would usually get a grunt or some sort of noise out of whomever was checking her out. Then she could turn around and catch them red-handed. Instead she heard nothing. Maybe I’m losing my touch.

“Hey Debs, how are you today? Are you ready to order?” The young male cashier was really sweet and always got Debbie's order right. “Do you want your usual?”

Debbie let out a laugh. They knew her too well. “I’m good, thank you.” She smiled at the young cashier. “Can I please get a half order of the turkey, bacon, and spinach panini, and can I also get a small orange sunrise smoothie?”

He rang up her total. “You’re not getting the wrap this time?”

“No, I figure I needed more spinach,” Debbie laughed again as she paid for her meal. She left a 20% tip in the jar and thanked him. Turning around, she nearly ran right into a tall, blond woman who had been standing behind her.

“Oops! Sorry,” she smiled at her. Oh my God, she's hot! Her shaggy blond hair and fringe almost covered her eyes. Her outfit was very sharp, with a navy blue blazer, a white, fitted, V-neck T-shirt, and dark skinny denim jeans. Even her black boots were polished and clean. Her body wasn’t skinny, but more lean and fit, which she preferred. She was better looking than any of the other men (or women in that matter) she had ever seen in the café.

Was this beautiful woman standing right behind her the whole time? No, she must have been behind the guy with the girlfriend who left after he received that phone call. Debbie somehow managed to make eye contact with the blonde and felt giddy when she saw how blue her eyes were. She couldn’t help blushing. “Please excuse me,” she smirked as she squeezed past her, making sure to brush against her arm as she passed. It must have worked because she watched her the entire time as she walked towards the pick-up counter.

Debbie bit her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress her giggling as she watched the blonde woman stumble through her order with the cashier. She took out her phone to text her friend Tammy as to what she should do next. While on her phone, she kept sneaking glances up at her until she noticed that she had finished paying and was now making her way towards the pick-up counter.

…

Lou slowly walked towards the pick-up counter while running through what to say to the brunette. She wanted to say something to her. She actually wanted to ask her out, but she didn’t have the courage to do that straight away.

What to say, what to say, what to say… Did people even actually physically approach others anymore? She had tried the whole online dating thing and found it lacking in quality. Too many people on dating sites were just looking for hook-ups. Lou knew she was in the minority, but she actually wanted more in a relationship. Her co-workers and friends always made fun of her for being a hopeless romantic. That was part of her character, though. A leopard can’t change its spots and Lou definitely didn’t want to change hers.

Now there was actually an unbelievably beautiful woman standing right next to her, but she couldn’t think of a damn thing to say to her. She was looking at her phone, flipping through various social media sites. Then she checked the weather, shaking her head in what appeared to be disagreement with the weather forecast. Finally, there was a ping of a text message. She giggled before replying to the text.

All the while, Lou was trying her hardest to not outright stare at the woman. She attempted several glances, but kept her balance by continually looking out the windows of the café. When she turned her gaze back to the brunette, she was surprised to see that she had put her phone away. She tilted her head to the right and reached behind with her hand to pull her long hair to the side, exposing her neck. Lou briefly pondered how soft her skin was and what it would taste like under her tongue. Lou froze when she realized that she caught her staring at her, peering at her out of the corner of her brown eyes. A knowing smile crept to the corner of her lips.

Lou quickly looked away, taking a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. She could really use a cigarette but, like most restaurants, the café had a no smoking policy. That was it. She blew it. There would be no way that she would even speak to her now. She had to at least apologize for gawking at her though. Letting out a sigh, she turned to the woman…

“Debs,” the worker called from the pick-up counter. The brunette goddess moved to the counter to grab her order. So, her name is Debs, is that Debbie or Deborah she wondered. Lou seemed to watch her in slow motion again as she began to walk towards the exit. She could have sworn that she glanced at her and smiled as she passed her. Then she was gone.

A minute later, her order was ready. “Lou,” the worker called. Feeling completely gutted and empty for letting such a rare woman get away without even saying “hi” to her, she slowly approached the counter.

Out of curiosity, she decided to ask the worker a question while she grabbed her food. Lou took a hopeful breath. “Hey. This may seem a little crazy, but that lady that had the order before mine…”

“Oh, you mean Debbie?” The girl with light pink hair behind the counter clarified. Her innocence stunned Lou for a moment. She wondered how many other people had inquired about the lady before.

“Um… yeah.” She took another deep breath. “Does she come in here often?”

“Yeah,” the girl smiled now. “She’s a regular of ours. She doesn’t come in every day, but maybe… like… every other day.” The worker seemed proud of the fact.

Lou let out a sigh of relief and thanked the girl before leaving with her food. Maybe she could try to meet Debbie again. If anything, she could at least apologize for ogling her. She would have to try when she was off from work again and the café was open, which meant waiting until the following Wednesday.


	3. Friday Afternoon

Friday afternoons were absolutely boring for Debbie. She twirled in a swivel chair while her friend continued to work. Tammy was younger than Debbie and a fact-checker with the organization in the building. Where Debbie gathered data for the weather, Tammy checked facts for the news. She was a tall, slender woman with very ample curves, brown eyes, and blonde hair that ran down past her shoulders. Tammy also had a very fashionable wardrobe that had the sole purpose of accentuating her curves, rather than all-out exposing them… although the neckline of most of her outfits was a bit questionable for work. Her explanation was always the same though, “They’re just breasts.” Which was an excellent point in Debbie's opinion.

Most importantly, Tammy was Debbie's best friend and confidant. The Older woman knew she could always rely on her friend for advice. “So, I take it she wasn’t there again today?” Debbie could actually hear the smile in Tammy's voice without seeing her face.

There was a sigh in response and Tammy chuckled. “No…” Debbie finally replied. “I don’t get it. I thought she looked interested. She was practically staring at me the entire time I was in there.” Debbie felt her toes lightly drag along the office floor, slowing the twirling of her chair. This was the second day in a row she had gone to The Mermaid Café for lunch in an attempt to meet the tall, blond woman again. She even went at the same time every day, hoping that maybe she held some sort of schedule and she had just never caught her before.

“You even tried the neck move that I recommended?” Tammy peered over her oval glasses. When she had received a text from her friend on Wednesday asking for advice on how to attract a woman she saw in the café, the younger woman couldn’t hide her amusement. If Debbie was asking her for advice then this woman had to be somewhat special.

“Yes, I did it almost immediately after you texted me. I made sure she was looking when I did it.” Debbie was pouting now. The one time that she actually wanted a girl to make a move on her and she did nothing. Why?

Maybe she wasn't into women. That wouldn’t make sense, though, because she was definitely checking her out. Or maybe she had a stain on her clothes somewhere that she found completely appalling. Then again, she didn’t remember seeing any stains when undressing that evening. Maybe she was shy. She should have just said something to her rather than waiting for the blonde to make the first move.

Tammy could see the excuses running through Debbie's mind. “Maybe it was just her day off,” she offered with a smile. When she saw the swivel chair come to an abrupt halt, she chuckled again and went back to her work.

Maybe it was her day off! How could Debbie not think of it sooner? That would mean she had some different kind of job than a regular 9-5. If Debbie tried going to the café next Wednesday, would she be there again?

There was a knock on Tammy's office door. “Come in,” the lady replied. Debbie quickly put her shoes back on and pulled the swivel chair up to Tammy's desk. She had already finished her work but she didn’t want to look like a complete slacker to her co-workers.

A shorter woman with black straight hair opened the door. Constance was a technician in the building. Debbie thought she was friendly but she tended to stretch the truth. It was a good thing that she wasn’t one of the news reporters. She would probably have the city thinking that aliens were attacking.

“H-hey ladies,” she smiled. “Um… Were you both still coming to my birthday dinner tonight?” There was a hint of nervousness in her voice. Debbie couldn’t understand why. Was she really that intimidating, or was it just Tammy and herself that this girl was afraid of?

“Wait a minute! That’s tonight?” Debbie had been so caught up in trying to meet the blond woman again that she completely forgot about Constance's birthday dinner. The majority of the staff had planned on going. Missing it would be a huge mistake for workplace etiquette. But seriously, who was born on April Fool’s Day??

“Well, yeah. I even reserved a room at All Blue to accommodate everyone.” She was obviously very proud to be having her birthday dinner at such an exclusive restaurant. Debbie's eyes narrowed at the technician. Was this another one of Constance's lies? Some elaborate April Fool’s prank?

“How did you get a room reserved at All Blue? I thought there was at least a month’s wait at that place.” Debbie pressed her. She wanted to see if she would crack under the pressure. No way could someone like Constance get into a place like All Blue.

She appeared to be a bit offended. Of all the times, this was actually the truth and no one believed her. “I know one of the owners. She's a friend of mine.”

Debbie was about to argue further when Tammy interrupted her. “Of course we’ll be there,” she smiled. “We wouldn’t dream of missing it.” The brunette woman stared at her friend, but she only received a shrug in response.

“Great! See you there at 6pm!” Constance was relieved as she closed the door. It would be a horrible birthday dinner if no one showed.


	4. Friday Evening

Friday evenings were one of the busiest nights of the week for Lou. The dinner rush on Friday and Saturday evenings were when her restaurant made the most business. She couldn’t leave that responsibility to just anyone. Fridays also meant that the old geezer was at his other restaurant, The Toussaint, and Lou could actually run All Blue by herself. By the end of Saturday, she was always exhausted and ready to have Sunday off.

Hopefully being busy would also mean that she would stop thinking about the brunette goddess she met last Wednesday. Well, she couldn’t exactly say that she “met” her. More like she stared at her and said nothing. Lou sighed and inwardly cringed at the memory.

She tried asking some of her friends and co-workers for advice, or at least their take on the situation. Amita was encouraging and actually thought that the lady was interested since she smiled at Lou. Nineball, the bartender who seemed to spend more time drinking than making actual drinks, told Lou that she was an idiot for not saying anything. No sympathy there. Finally, Rose, waitress and one of Lou's oldest friends, was completely clueless on the topic and asked if the lady could cook meat. If she could cook meat, then she was a keeper. Lou wondered if it may have been a mistake to hire so many of her friends.

The mysterious lady, Debbie, had occupied most of her thoughts for the past three days. She was in every dream she had since last Wednesday and she must have had at least half a dozen fantasies about her by now… not all of them were sexy! But at the heart of all of her thoughts, Lou held deep regret for not getting the courage to talk to her. She promised herself that she would make an effort to go back to The Mermaid Café next Wednesday in an attempt to meet her again and at least apologize for staring like some sort of weirdo. She knew her chances of ever meeting her again were slim, but she had to try.

Now there was nothing else to do but wait, as every day seemed to go by agonizingly slow. Tonight, in addition to being a usually busy night, Constance would be having her birthday dinner with most of the staff from her work. Lou couldn’t join her friend since she was working, but she would definitely give the group the best service, food, and dining experience available. Maybe she would also get the chance to talk with her friend about the lady. Constance was known to lie about some experiences, but she always offered an honest opinion in times of need.

Checking the clock, Lou realized it was 5:45pm. Constance's party would be arriving soon. The blonde found two of her best waiters, and asked them to prepare the private dining room. Constance estimated around 40 people total, so not all of the guests could sit at the same table. Lou figured five round tables with eight guests per table would work. She would never dream of charging her friend for her own birthday meal, but such a large group was sure to bring in good business.

…

6:05pm, Tammy and Debbie were fashionably late. Debbie hated being the first to arrive to anything. It usually guaranteed some awkward silences until more people showed up. She would rather be a little late than suffer social awkwardness.

The two ladies entered All Blue and Debbie let out a small gasp in awe. The restaurant had a modern décor, but the ambiance felt like the entire room was under the ocean. There were no tacky decorations, like the fishing nets, anchors, and crab traps you would find at seafood restaurant chains. Just a deep blue color and soft lighting that left the impression of being underwater without being too dark. It was very simplistic, relaxing, and stylish. Debbie was particularly impressed with the giant wall aquarium that lined the right side of the main dining area.

“Good evening ladies, do you have dinner reservations?” A hostess with beautiful brown wavy hair greeted Tammy and Debbie. 

“We’re here for the large dinner party,” Tammy smiled.

“Ah, for Constance!!” The hostess’s eyes lit up. “Right this way. They’ve been waiting for you.”

Debbie gave Tammy a questioning look, but again she only received a shrug in response. The hostess led the two women through the restaurant and into a private dining room. Debbie realized that the giant aquarium actually separated the main dining room from the private room.

“Hey! You both made it!” Constance ran up to the women with a look of relief. “Sorry for waiting on you, but most of the guys said that they wouldn’t come unless both of you were here,” she whispered to them. Debbie gave another questioning look and glanced at the staff that came to the dinner party.

There were five dining tables that seated eight people each. Aside from Debbie and Tammy, there were only four other women at the party. Sitting next to Constance, was Robin. She didn’t work with them, but she was Constance's girlfriend. Debbie thought that she must have the patience of a saint to put up with the pranks that Constance pulled. 

Debbie was a bit annoyed, but Tammy just put on her beautiful smile as always. Feigning flattery, she placed a hand on her cheek in embarrassment. “Oh my! All of this waiting just for us?” Debbie let out a small laugh. Tammy definitely knew how to be polite.

“I’ll show you to your seats,” the hostess gently interrupted them. Tammy and Debbie nodded as they followed her. There were two empty seats at the fifth table in the back of the room. Debbie was happy to see that her seat was right next to the aquarium wall. She could see through the glass to the main dining area. “May I take your coats?” The hostess offered.

Tammy removed her dark purple coat to reveal a form-fitting, black, silk, floor length gown. The sleeves of her gown were made of black mesh that covered the bodice as well. Tammy's cleavage was visible even through the mesh. Tommy, a technician like Constance, was seated next to her and immediately jumped up to pull out her chair. “Thank you,” she smiled as she took her seat.

The hostess then came and took Debbie's coat. Debbie chose to be much less dramatic than her friend by wearing a simple, cream colored, chiffon dress that fell to just below her knees. The halter neckline was securely tied at the back of her neck. The last thing she wanted was a wardrobe malfunction in front of the majority of the staff. “Hmmmm….” Debbie heard the hostess appraising her from behind.

“What?” Debbie asked innocently. Did the hostess think she was underdressed compared to her friend?

“Nothing,” the hostess smiled at her. “I just noticed that you have a navy blue trench coat and red high heels.” Debbie nodded with some uncertainty. “Very interesting,” the hostess commented before leaving.

Debbie was about to take her own seat when Linus jumped up to pull out her chair. Linus was a very young man with dirty blonde hair and was pretty much the gofer for the production staff. Debbie would have felt sorry for him if he wasn’t so eager to please his co-workers. “Thank you, Linus.” She sat down in her chair.

Turning to Tammy, Debbie whispered, “that was odd.”

“What?” Tammy questioned in a hushed voice.

“The hostess…” Debbie began.

Debbie took a moment to compose her thoughts. “The hostess commented on the fact that I have red high heels and a blue trench coat. That was kind of weird.”


	5. Birthday Cake

As soon as Amita finished hanging up the coats, she practically ran for the kitchen. “Ms. Miller! Where is Ms. Miller?” Amita stood on her tip-toes, looking for a mop of shaggy blonde hair. 

“Amita!” Rose gave the hostess a huge smile. “Lou went out back to have a cigarette.”

“Thank you!” she blew past Rose towards the exit to the loading dock. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath before opening the door.

Sure enough, Lou was standing out on the loading dock, smoking a cigarette. She was well dressed, as usual, in a black three-piece suit. The collar of her blue pinstriped dress shirt was visible and matched her azure silk tie. Amita could admit that Lou had some bad manners, smoking being one of them, but she would never call the young woman a bad dresser. “Lou!”

“What is it, Amita?” Lou took a drag from her cigarette. The smoke disappeared into the night sky as she exhaled. Her smoke break was one of the few moments she got to herself during the evening. She didn’t like sharing it with others. “Shouldn’t you be up at the front?”

“Yen is helping me host this evening.” Amita explained before indulging her boss with some information. “I figured you would like to know that there is a young lady that you may take some interest in at your friend’s dinner party.”

Lou sighed. “I’m not interested in Daphne Kluger. That woman’s ego could crush an entire village.” 

“No, it’s not the Kluger woman.” Amita teased with a smile. “I think you’ll take an interest in this one.” That was all of the information that she was going to reveal. She wanted to see the surprise on the young woman's face. 

Glancing at the Amita, Lou extinguished her cigarette. “Fine, Mita, I’ll bite.” She shook her head in disbelief. Amita should know how caught up she was on Debbie, despite knowing practically nothing about her. “I’ll assist the waiters with bringing the cake in for Constance.” Lou held the door open for her co-worker and confidant as both women headed back inside.

…

Debbie tuned out most of the chatter from the dinner party as she stared at the fish in the aquarium. Tommy had monopolized most of Tammy's attention during the evening. Some of her co-workers tried to approach her, but aside from small chit-chat, she wasn’t really interested in interacting with anyone. She was still annoyed that Constance had invited only six women out of 39 guests total to her birthday dinner. Or maybe the other women in the organization couldn’t make it? Regardless, it was still annoying. Debbie sighed. What the hell am I doing here?

At that moment, the lights in the private dining room were dimmed and a few people began singing “Happy Birthday” to Constance. Debbie couldn’t see well with the lights dimmed, but she could make out a two tiered cake covered in candles being wheeled in on a serving cart. As everyone finished singing, Constance blew out her candles and the lights came back on.

There was a round of applause from everyone in the room. Debbie grabbed Tammy's right arm and froze. “Debs, what is it? What’s wrong?” Tammy whispered to her friend. At the front of the room, standing next to Constance was the tall, blonde woman from the café. Her smile was tender and charming, something that Debbie didn’t get the chance to see when they were in the sandwich shop. 

With a pain in her chest, Debbie had the sudden desire to get to know her better. She wanted to know her likes and dislikes, what interests she had, what she enjoyed to do in her free time. What occurred in the sandwich shop was some mindless flirting on her end to try to physically attract a hot woman. After seeing her smile, she could tell that she was so much more than that. No wonder she didn’t make a move on her at the time.

…

Lou stood up straight and addressed the group. “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming out for Constance's birthday dinner.” She made sure to scan the room as she spoke to everyone. “Welcome to All Blue. My name is Lou Miller and I am one of the owners. Please feel free to come find me if you need any…thing…” Her words trailed off as she came across the lady that Amita had teased her with. She was sat at the fifth table in the back of the room, next to the aquarium. It was none other than the brunette goddess, Debbie, herself. 

An eternity seemed to pass between them as their eyes were locked on each other. Tammy looked to her friend and then to the restaurant owner, noting the interaction. She chuckled to herself. “Oh my, Debbie. You sure know how to pick them.”


	6. The Company Ink

“Uh…” Lou had completely lost her train of thought. Actually she lost any thought process whatsoever, including the ability to speak, apparently. She was enthralled in gentle brown eyes, fiery brown hair, slightly blushed cheeks, and gently parted, petal soft lips… Lou stopped herself there before travelling any further down her body. She cleared her throat. “Otherwise I will leave you in the capable hands of my two best servers.”

That was the cue for the two waiters to start taking dinner orders from the party guests. Constance pulled Lou's right arm so that she ended up crouching next to her friend. “What the hell was that about? Are you okay?”

“It’s her!” Lou smiled in amazement. “It’s really her! I can’t believe she’s here!”

“Who? Who are you talking about?” Constance looked around the room at the small group of female guests. “Daphne Kluger?”

Lou gave her friend a disgusted look. “Oh God, no!” She peered over the edge of the dining table to take another look at Debbie. It really was her! She was even more beautiful than she remembered and she was actually in her restaurant, at her friend’s birthday dinner of all places!

Wait a minute… “Constance,” Lou began as she turned to her friend. “That beautiful brunette woman at the back table…”

“Debbie?” Constance gave a nervous glance in her direction. The woman terrified her. She was so intimidating and manipulative… at least that’s what she heard from the other guys.

“Yeah,” Lou smiled. “What do you know about her? Is she single? Does she have a boyfriend? Girlfriend? What is she like? What foods does she like? What…”

Constance interrupted her. “Lou, you cannot be serious. Debbie? How do you even know her? Have you met her before? Or is this just you blindly chasing after yet another woman?”

Lou's smile fell into a hard, straight line that scared her friend. “I saw her in The Mermaid Café last Wednesday. It was my day off and I decided to check the place out after you kept recommending it.” Lou's eyes fell a bit as she remembered the interaction. “I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn’t think of what to say. Then, to make matters worse, she caught me staring at her.” The sad expression on her face bothered Constance. “I planned on going to the café when I’m off next Wednesday to see if I could meet her again and at least apologize for staring.”

Constance frowned a bit. She didn’t like to see her friend in pain. “Well, Debbie is one of the broadcast meteorologists and she’s single, but you don’t want to get involved with that woman. I heard from the other guys that she’s ruthless.” Lou' expression scared her again.

“What makes them say that?” She almost growled her response. Constance could tell that she really liked Debbie.

“Uhhhh….” Constance thought before speaking. She knew how hard Lou could kick and she didn’t feel like being on the receiving end, especially on her birthday. “Well, see all of my male co-workers in here?”

Lou looked around. None of them were really impressive. “Yeah.”

“At one time or another, they have all attempted to ask her out on a date.” Lou didn’t look very surprised at Constance's observation. “And she has turned down every single one without even giving them so much as a snowball’s chance in hell. Trust me,” she was pleading with her blonde friend now. “She will tear your heart out.”

Lou's head was hanging slightly forward. Constance couldn’t read her expression. Her blonde fringe hung over her eyes. Suddenly there was a soft chuckle and Lou finally responded. “That’s not a fair judgment and I’ll give you two reasons why.”

Constance gulped. “Okay…”

Lou looked up at her friend. “First, it’s common sense that ‘you never dip your pen in the company ink.’ Failed workplace romances just lead to awkwardness and trouble amongst co-workers. I don’t blame her for turning down all offers from the workplace staff.”

Constance nodded. Her friend did make a good point. “So… what’s your second reason?”

Lou grinned at her now. “No man or woman in this room is worthy of that woman.” She looked over to see the waiter finish with taking the orders at her table. “But I’m going to damn well try.” Constance heard a soft ‘oh’ from her girlfriend seated next to her. Lou quickly stood up and exited the room with the waiters.

“She's an idiot,” Constance commented in disbelief. She looked over at Debbie and was surprised to see her eyes following Lou even through the glass of the aquarium. There was a slight flush to her cheeks. Could it be true that the frightening cruel woman was interested in her?

…

Lou quickly exited the private dining room with her servers. The three were making their way to the kitchen. “Spence!” She called to the man with wavy black hair and freckles.

“Yes, boss.” 

“What did the brunette lady at table five order?” Lou inquired.

“Umm…” he checked his list. “She ordered the salmon with orange fennel sauce. Why?”

Lou smiled. “Tell the Chef that I’m personally making that order.”


	7. Dinner

Debbie couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Her deep blue gaze completely captivated her. “Uh…” She heard her make some sort of noise. When her eyes shifted to her mouth, she felt a thrill rush through her. If they weren’t at opposite ends of the room, she probably would have kissed her, oblivious to anyone else… Which was crazy considering that she barely knew anything about her. Lou cleared her throat. “Otherwise I will leave you in the capable hands of my two best servers.”

Constance dragged the blonde woman down next to her, out of her view, and the spell was broken. Debbie blinked a few times, then heard Tammy chuckling beside her. “Welcome back,” her friend smiled at her. Debbie blushed even more. “So that was the café lady?” Tammy questioned.

Debbie nodded. “I didn’t know that she was one of the owners of All Blue. She probably thought I was a complete idiot in the café.” She cringed. “That’s why she didn’t make a move on me.”

Tammy was laughing again. “Judging from the intense, longing gaze you just gave each other, I highly doubt that.” One of the waiters approached their table and began to take their orders. “You know,” Tammy whispered to her friend, “Constance keeps looking at you with a very nervous expression.” What could Constance be telling her? Debbie tried to look at Lou again, but all she could see was the top of her blond hair.

“And what will you have, madam?” The waiter with wavy black hair and a splatter of freckles startled Debbie with the question. She didn’t even have a chance to look at the menu. Quickly finding a dish that had salmon and a type of orange sauce, Debbie decided on that. “Would you like anything to drink?” The server added.

“Just water, please,” Debbie replied, folding the menu and handing it to the waiter. 

Finished with taking everyone’s order, the two waiters began to make their way towards the exit. Debbie noticed Lou quickly stand up and exit with them. She couldn’t tell if she looked angry or determined. What the hell did Constance say to her? Her eyes followed the blonde woman even through the aquarium glass. As she disappeared into the kitchen area, she sighed. She could really use that water now.

…

Lou entered the kitchen and began removing her suit jacket. There was already a small group of kitchen and wait staff beginning to form around her. Amita came into the kitchen and found Rose. “What’s going on?”

“Lou's going to cook one of the dishes!” Rose had on a huge smile. She enjoyed watching Lou cook, but she preferred when the food was for her.

“What??” Amita couldn’t believe it. She ran up to Lou. “Did you see the lady I was talking about?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you for informing me about her.” She replied with a mischievous smile. She handed the hostess her suit jacket as she put on an apron. “Would you mind putting my jacket in my office when you get a chance?”

Amita took the jacket but wanted more details. “Well, was it her? What are you going to do??” Lou was rolling up the sleeves of her blue pinstriped dress shirt.

“What else? I’m going to make her dinner.” She had a huge grin on her face. There was a collective ‘ohhh’ from the staff in the kitchen.

…

While the party guests were waiting for their dinner, the servers, began to distribute the drinks. Receiving her water, Debbie took a sip and then pushed some of the ice cubes around in her glass with her straw. “What do you think I should do, Tam-tam?” She mumbled, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to properly introduce myself to her now.”

Tammy turned from her conversation with Tommy. “Why ever not? You’re still you and she definitely seems interested in you.” The younger woman even witnessed it herself a few minutes ago. “Why would anything be different now?”

“Because she owns one of the most exclusive restaurants in town.” Debbie frowned. “She probably has expensive tastes and is extremely cultured and…”

“Shes also friends with Constance.” Tammy interrupted her friend. Debbie blinked. That was true. If Lou was friends with Constance then she had to be somewhat down-to-Earth, right?

Debbie sighed. She needed a minute to think. “I’m going to the washroom really quick,” she whispered to Tammy as she got out her seat. Making her way through the restaurant, Debbie found the room down a small hallway.

Minutes later, after coming out of the washroom, Debbie could hear a round of applause and cheers coming from across the hallway. Peering through a circular window in a door, she saw that it was the kitchen. A large group of restaurant staff were gathered and at the very center was Lou. She was actually preparing something, although Debbie couldn’t see what.

What kind of woman is this? Well, of course there was a high chance of her being a chef if she owned a restaurant, right? Although some celebrities owned restaurants without knowing the first thing about food. Lou put the finishing touches on the dish and the group around her began to dissipate. As Debbie saw a waiter coming towards her, she quickly walked away from the door.

…

Lou removed her apron when she was satisfied with the dish and nodded to Spence to include it with the rest of the meals for the dinner party. Exiting the kitchen, she noticed a pair of red high heels leaving the hallway and walking back towards the private dining room. Lou followed her until she reached the bar opposite the wall aquarium and sighed. Her cream colored dress was beautiful, of course. It also exposed her flawless back. She pushed out thoughts of what she would like to do to the dress tie at the back of her neck. 

The waiters were distributing everyone’s dishes in the private dining room. Lou watched through the wall aquarium as Debbie took her seat. She rested her elbow on the edge of the bar and placed her chin in her right hand, eagerly waiting to see her reaction. She held her breath as she took a bite. First there was surprise, then pleasure, and finally joy flashed across her beautiful face. Lou wanted to punch the air in triumph and faint at the same time.

The two waiters came out of the dining room and headed back towards the kitchen with the serving trays. Lou stopped Spence briefly and asked if Debbie had ordered anything to drink. “No, she only wanted water,” the waiter replied before going back into the kitchen. That was unacceptable! She deserved something to complement the meal.

Lou went back behind the bar. “Baller, I need a drink!”

“Well, so do I, but you don’t see me drinking on the clock!” The bartender replied.

Brushing off the snarky reply, Lou explained. “It’s for one of the guests at the dinner party.”

“Constance's party?” Nineball questioned. “I already made all of their drinks.”

“This one wasn’t ordered. I’m adding it.” Lou explained as she got down some of the top-shelf vodka along with triple sec, dry vermouth, and orange bitters.

Nineball gave her boss a quizzical expression. “Is this for a woman?”

“Yes,” Lou replied honestly. She grabbed an orange and started making an orange twist for garnish.

The bartender could tell from the ingredients that her boss wanted an Orange Martini. She started making the concoction. “Geez, girl! Weren’t you just moping about a woman at a café only a couple days ago??” She started shaking the martini. “Now you’ve already moved on to someone else? You just need to get laid.”

Lou usually would have had a better comeback for a comment like that, but she was in a good mood. Shaking her head, she replied. “It’s the same woman.”

Even Nineball was surprised by this information. She stopped mid-shake on the martini. “No way!” She snorted. “She knows Constance? How?”

“They work at the same place,” Lou explained. She found a martini glass and started preparing it.

Nineball poured the martini into the glass. “Huh… Small world.” Lou added.

She picked up the drink and brought it to the end of the bar. “Thanks for the help boo!”

…

No salmon had ever tasted this good before. Debbie couldn’t believe it. Was all of the food on the menu really that good? If so, she could see why the prices were so high.

Suddenly, an orange drink in a martini glass was placed down next to her. “What’s this?” Debbie asked the waiter with the freckles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t order this.”

“It’s an Orange Martini, madam.” The waiter smiled and said in a hushed voice. “Compliments of the chef.” Debbie blushed. Would she?... Nah, it couldn’t be.


	8. The End of the Party

Resting against the end of the bar with her chin in her right hand, Lou spent the past half hour watching Debbie through the aquarium wall across the room as she finished her salmon with orange fennel sauce and Orange Martini. Seeing her enjoy the meal brought a serene smile to her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so calm. Now the party guests were having cake, which meant that the dinner party would be over soon.

“Are you going to sit there all night just staring at her, or are you going to talk to her?” Lou looked to her right to see Nineball standing next to her, drinking a beer on the clock. There went the serenity. “I mean, if you want, I can go talk to her. She’s not really my type but…”

Lou sighed. She knew Nineball was teasing her. The bartender was really lucky that she was in a good mood. “I still don’t know what to say to her.” Lou's voice had a tinge of discontent.

“Just tell her that you made her meal. That would make me fall in love with you.” NineBall and Lou looked to their left to find Rose standing next to them. She was eating a giant turkey leg while staring at the party through the aquarium wall. She looked at both of her friends. “What?” Lou turned to Nineball, who just shrugged at her.

“Or you could tell her that the next dinner is at your place.” Rose, Lou, and Nineball all turned to the right to see Amita leaning on the bar with her head cupped in both hands. “She really is a rare beauty, Lou!” Both Nineball and Rose looked to Lou expectantly.

“Okay, that’s enough meddling in my non-existent love life.” Lou rubbed her forehead. “All of you back to work.” There were protests and complaints, but the waitress, bartender, and hostess all listened to their boss. Their suggestions did give Lou an idea, though.

…

The guests at Constance's birthday dinner were finishing their cake. The servers were handing out the bills for each guest. Constance was happy to see that Lou didn’t charge her for her meal. She had said something about it being his gift to her.

Debbie poked at the unfinished half of her chocolate cake. It was good, but extremely sweet. She could only take a few bites before having to stop. Then again, it could have been her loss of appetite. With the dinner party winding down, she couldn’t help feeling a bit down that she didn’t get to see more of Lou throughout the evening.

Spence came to her table to hand out everyone’s individual bill for their dinner. Debbie took the black leather holder and held her breath before surveying the damage. She opened the holder to see a receipt with no charge. Her meal had already been paid for. But who would… Then she saw the small handwritten note at the top of the bill:

I hope you enjoyed the meal. It’s on me. – Lou

Debbie smiled. This was something that she didn’t feel was appropriate to share, not even with Tammy… well, at least not yet. Taking the pen included in the holder, she tried to think of a response.

…

Spence brought the payment receipts back to the cash register. Constance's guests were starting to leave. Lou assisted the two waiters at the register. She happened to glance up to see Debbie leaving with her blonde friend. She looked around the restaurant as if searching for something. When she saw her, she smiled and blushed. Then she gave a small nod and silently told her, “Good night.”

Lou returned her smile and responded with a silent, “Night.” Then she was gone again. At least this time Lou found out a little bit more about her. Unfortunately, this new information made Debbie even more attractive in her eyes. How would she ever be able to work up the courage to speak to her now?

“Hey boss, this one is for you.” Spence interrupted Lou's forlorn thoughts. The waiter handed her one of the leather bill holders. Lou opened it to see the receipt for no charge that she had prepared for Debbie. Under the “tip” section of the bill, she had left a response:

Thank you! The meal was delicious,

but I would have much rather preferred your company. – Debbie

Lou was elated. She immediately went over to show Nineball. “Well, that’s nice,” the bartender commented. “Did she leave her phone number?” Lou froze.

…

“Well done. Did you include your phone number?” Tammy asked Debbie. Tommy was driving them home since they both had been drinking. Debbie thought that Tommy only offered to take them home so that he could finally ask Tammy out on a date. That wasn’t Debbie's concern since she was going to be dropped off first. She knew Tammy could take care of herself.

None of this saved Debbie from cringing in embarrassment for forgetting to include her phone number with her response to Lou. “Now she's going to think I’m some horrible woman who takes advantage of kindness.”

“Does Constance know your number? Maybe Lou can get it from her?” Tammy offered from the front seat.

“No,” Debbie sighed. “I don’t think I’ve ever given my number to Constance.”

“Well, it looks like you’ll just have to ask Constance for Lou's number when you’re at work on Monday.” Tammy was so brilliant. That was why Debbie enjoyed having her as a friend. She smiled as she looked out the window of the back seat. I’ll just have to ask Constance for Lou's number on Monday.


	9. Sunday Morning

Sunday mornings were Lou's day to sleep in. Working until close on Saturdays usually left her exhausted. Thankfully, both she and the old geezer agreed when creating the schedule for All Blue that the restaurant would be closed on Sundays. That way they could both take a break. Now, whether or not Lou could get her body to sleep past 8:30am was another matter.

Blue eyes gently opened to the sound of rain tapping against the bedroom window. Lou took a deep breath and blinked a few times. She was on her right side with one pillow under his head, as usual. Then she looked down and realized that her left arm was wrapped around the other pillow, clutching it against her chest. She frowned and let out a sigh.

Debbie was in her dreams again last night. This was the fifth night in a row. It was getting ridiculous. She didn’t even really know her. Yet the dreams were getting more and more vivid, especially after their brief interaction, or non-interaction, last Friday at Constance's birthday dinner.

Watching her enjoy a meal that she specifically prepared for her, her smile as she silently told her “good night,” and her note to her that she would have liked her company all left Lou feeling overjoyed, but nervous at the same time. Debbie was beautiful and had to be intelligent if she was a broadcast meteorologist. Constance tried to say that she was ruthless with people, but how could Lou believe that when she showed the common sense to not date people in the workplace?

The one thing that kept nagging at her was that Debbie didn’t leave her phone number with her note. Nineball was quick to point it out to her and suspected that she was just manipulating her for getting a free meal. Lou tried to give her the benefit of the doubt in that maybe she just forgot, much like she did when she read it. She tried to get her number from Constance after the dinner party, but her friend didn’t have it.

Now it was Sunday, Lou's day off, and all she wanted to do was spend the day getting to know Debbie. It would have been a perfect day to meet with her for coffee or something, even with the rain outside. Instead, it was looking like she would have to try meeting her at the sandwich shop again next Wednesday. Three days felt like too long of a wait.

With a sigh, Lou checked the time on her phone: 8:25am. She buried her face in the pillow and groaned at her circadian rhythm. Might as well get up. She threw on a pair of sweats and went to the kitchen.

The first thing Lou usually did on a Sunday morning was make a cup of black tea and have a cigarette before starting breakfast. Opening the cabinet, she paused. Shit. She forgot to pick up tea the last time she went grocery shopping. So now she had two choices: 1) Go to the grocery store two blocks away just to pick up some tea, or 2) Stop at the small coffee shop along the way and relax before going to the grocery store to pick up more tea. Considering that both required her to take a shower and get dressed, Lou decided on option two.

…

Sundays were bittersweet for Debbie. On one hand, Sunday mornings were usually the most relaxing of the week. On the other hand, Sunday meant that Monday would not be far behind along with yet another workweek.

Brown eyes gently opened to the sound of rain hitting the bedroom window. Debbie knew it was going to rain today. Not that she minded the rain as long as she didn’t have to go anywhere. Thankfully, today was one of those days… if she wanted it to be.

Oh, who was she kidding? She spent all of Saturday cleaning, doing laundry, anything to keep her mind off Lou. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking of the beautiful, blonde co-owner of All Blue who bought her dinner at Constance's party. She also suspected that it might have been her plate that she was preparing when she saw her in the kitchen. Tammy told her in the car ride home that while the food was good, it wasn’t anywhere near what Debbie described.

Burying her face in the pillow, she sighed in frustration. She had planned to wait until Monday to ask Constance for Lou's number. The wait was torturous though. Debbie needed to get out of her apartment today and get some fresh air. She checked the time on her phone: 8:30am. Good. Maybe she could waste some time at the small coffee shop below her apartment, but only after taking a shower first.

…

Debbie finished drying her hair and put on a dark grey jersey dress that fell to the middle of her thighs. The rain caused the temperature to feel a bit chillier than it had been, so she pulled on a dark blue cardigan as well. Not really thinking of going anywhere else other than the coffee shop, she slipped on a pair of black ballet flats. Grabbing her small handbag, she locked her apartment door and went down the stairs. Knowing that she wouldn’t be in the rain long, Debbie didn’t bother to bring her umbrella.

Two floors down from Debbie's apartment, on the ground floor, was a small coffee shop called Le Chat Noir. Why the owner decided to name their coffee shop after a famous cabaret was beyond her comprehension. At least they had both coffee and tea, along with various bakery items. Entering the shop, Debbie ordered milk tea and an orange cranberry muffin.

Picking up her muffin and drink, she looked around the small shop for a place to sit. It was still a bit too early for the Sunday brunch people to be out yet, so there were a few seats available. Then she saw her.

In the corner, sitting next to the window, was a now familiar blonde woman… or at least she was familiar in appearance. She was dressed down from the three-piece suit she wore last Friday. This time she was wearing a navy tank top, black hooded fleece jacket, white skinny jeans, and black Nike running shoes. Debbie thought no one should be allowed to look that good in something that simple. Busy reading a magazine, Lou must have not seen her enter the shop. Debbie felt a warm smile form on her lips.


	10. Le Chat Noir

Le Chat Noir wasn’t the best café in town, but Lou liked their selection of tea and baked goods. While she enjoyed baking, she never really had the time for it when taking prep time into account. The croissant she just finished was decent, but she knew she could make a better one.

Now she was flipping through the city magazine’s annual “Best of” issue while she drank her black tea. It was no surprise that the old geezer’s restaurant, The Toussaint, was selected as “Best Restaurant” for the fifth year in a row. It was something the old man was very proud of, although he would never admit it to Lou. What was surprising was that All Blue was a close second. Lou didn’t expect her restaurant to even make the list considering that it only opened a little over a year ago.

“Sorry, is this seat taken?” The soft female voice brought her out of her thoughts. Lou blinked. Where had she heard that voice before? Looking up, she could have sworn she heard a loud “thud” from her heart.

Standing in front of her was the same woman she had dreamt of last night, and the night before that… for the last five nights, actually. She was dressed casually in a grey dress and blue cardigan but no less beautiful. Lou almost expected to see her usual red heels. Instead she had on black flats. Her brown hair hung down in loose waves like it had just been dried. Lou opened her mouth and then closed it, trying to remember how to speak.

Debbie blushed, making her even more endearing to Lou. “Do you mind if I sit with you?” She almost pouted. It took a lot of courage just to approach her. Now her confidence was wavering.

“Uh… No, please! By all means,” Lou jumped up from her seat to pull out the chair opposite her. She closed her eyes and let out a slow, deep breath as she sat down. Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm…

She took her seat again across the small table from her. There was still a glow in her cheeks as she tried to think of what to say. “Ah!” Her eyes met Lou's again. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met. I’m Debbie,” she smiled as she held out her right hand to shake hers.

Gently taking her hand in hers, she introduced herself. “Lou,” she replied before kissing the top of her knuckles. Her blue eyes looked up at her as she slowly let go of her hand.

Debbie didn’t think it was possible to blush more than she already was. Taking a breath to recollect her thoughts, she remembered something she had wanted to say to her in person. “I never did get to properly thank you for the dinner last Friday. It was absolutely delicious.”

Lou beamed. “You’re very welcome. I’m glad that you enjoyed it.” Food was always a safe topic with her. She had no trouble discussing it. “I actually prepared it for you.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

“I suspected as much.” Debbie replied with a grin. “From what I heard, the other meals were no where near as good as mine.” She took a sip of her tea. Her response put Lou at ease.

“Ah, I’ll have to talk with my Chef about that then.” She nodded with a chuckle.

“So you don’t usually cook?” Debbie questioned. She was genuinely curious why someone so talented wasn’t head chef of the restaurant.

“Not as much, no,” Lou replied. Her eyes were downcast in thought. “I was the Sous-Chef at The Toussaint up until about a year ago. Then my adoptive dad and I decided to open All Blue together.”

“Chef Miller is your dad?” Debbie wasn’t aware that the co-owners were father and daughter.

“Adoptive dad,” she emphasized. “We argue about a lot of things, but I’m grateful that he allowed me to do most of the planning with the restaurant. I decided the layout, décor, and even created the menu myself.”

“I was very impressed by the ambiance,” Debbie revealed. “It felt like the entire restaurant was underwater. It was very relaxing. I can see why it has become such an exclusive restaurant.”

Lou frowned slightly. “I kind of wish it wasn’t so exclusive. I never wanted to create a restaurant that would have to turn people away, but now reservations usually need to be made a month ahead.” She took a sip of her tea. “I don’t want people to feel like they’re not good enough to eat there.” 

Debbie watched her face carefully. She could tell that Lou cared about the restaurant and food very much, but she was also facing the realities of managing a business. It didn’t appear to be too burdensome when she saw her there last Friday though.

Lost in thought, Debbie began to unwrap her muffin. Glancing up, she noticed that Lou was watching her. Her cheeks turned slightly red with embarrassment. “Sorry! I… uh… was just wondering if that was a cranberry orange muffin.” She couldn’t tell her that she was thinking about how nimble her fingers looked.

Debbie gave her a knowing smile. Unlike her friend Constance, Lou wasn’t a very convincing liar. “Yes,” she replied. Then looking her in the eye, she coyly asked, “Would you like some?”

The way she presented the question, Lou thought her head was going to explode. Relax! She’s only talking about a muffin. Curiosity got the better of her. She sat slightly forward in her seat. “Just a small piece, if you don’t mind.”

Breaking off a piece of the muffin, Debbie held it out across the table as if she were going to feed it to her. The confusion on Lou's face made Debbie second-guess her actions. “Um… Maybe I should put it on a napkin or some…” Her words trailed off when she felt her grasp her hand in both of hers.

The warmness of her mouth was soon around the tips of her thumb and forefinger. Her tongue was soft as it licked against her. Then she made eye contact with her as she sucked the remaining crumbs off of her finger. Debbie was speechless. The blush in her cheeks had returned full-force. Lou gave her a clever smile. “It’s delicious, but I can do better.”


	11. Cold Tea

“It’s delicious, but I can do better.” The clever smile Lou gave her was now turning into a devilish grin. She had caught Debbie off-guard. The look of surprise and arousal on her face thrilled her. Knowing that she caused her reaction made it even more enjoyable.

Debbie blinked and looked away, exhaling softly. At least her already flushed cheeks hid her embarrassment. She was used to being the one in control, easily getting desired reactions out of people. The fact that someone could so effortlessly elicit such a strong response from her body was slightly unsettling.

The uneasiness on her face did not go unnoticed. Lou frowned slightly. She never intended to make her uncomfortable. Still holding Debbie's right hand in both of hers, she softly kissed her fingertips in apology for her brazen behavior. Her thumbs gently massaged her palm.

The tender action caused Debbie to face Lou again. Her blue eyes were so remorseful; she resembled a puppy after being scolded. She couldn’t help giggling at her adorable expression. Hearing her laugh made Lou smile.

“So, you like oranges?” she asked timidly. She continued to gently massage her hand. Touching Debbie gave her an electrifying tingle she had never felt before.

She let out a soft chuckle. “Is it that obvious?” The flush in her cheeks faded to a slight blush. The massage Lou gave her was relaxing. Her touch was so delicate she didn’t want her to stop.

“Just call it a cook’s observation,” she explained with a smile. She warmly kissed her palm before gradually letting go of her hand. Debbie shivered in response. Lou could be both arousing and affectionate. It made her immediately crave her touch again. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

“I grew up on an orange farm,” she disclosed as she picked at her muffin again. “My mom ran it up until she died. Then my brother took over.” There was a hint of loneliness in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Lou offered. The information made her want to comfort her… or care for her. From what she had heard and observed of Debbie so far though, she seemed more than capable of caring for herself. This may have been why she reacted the way she did to her bold move earlier. Perhaps she wasn’t used to being susceptible to the actions of others and the vulnerability frightened her.

With eyes downcast, Debbie just shook her head. “It’s okay. It happened a long time ago.” She ate a small piece of the muffin before taking a drink of her tea. “I still call my brother every week, so I’m fine.” She put on a brave smile, but Lou could tell that the memory still hurt to talk about. She chose not to further push her on the subject.

Taking a drink of her tea, Lou was disappointed to find that it had gone cold. Then she remembered that she had intended to go to the grocery store. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. “Hey, Debbie.” She grabbed her left hand with her right.

Her brown eyes came up to meet her again. She gave her a questioning look. Lou took a hopeful breath. “Do you have any plans today?”

She shook her head. “No. Why?”

She smiled at her reply. “Can I make you dinner tonight?” Her thumb brushed over her knuckles.

Debbie could feel the warmth in her cheeks again. She shyly nodded. “I would like that.”

“There’s a catch though,” Lou clarified.

“What’s the catch?” Debbie responded with some apprehension. 

She grinned at her. “You have to help me make it, which includes coming to the grocery store with me.” Lou could easily prepare a four-course meal for Debbie by herself, but she wanted to spend the whole day with her. That had been her desire since she woke up and now that she was given the chance to get to know her, she refused to waste it.

Debbie smiled with a hint of relief. “Sounds fun, as long as you remember that I’m not a professional chef and you don’t boss me around. You’re not at work today.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Lou replied. She then lifted Debbie's left hand to her lips, making her blush again. She wasn’t used to such affectionate behavior, but it definitely wasn’t a bad thing. Still holding her left hand, she asked, “Are you ready to leave?”

She nodded, but then looked out the window. The rain was still falling steady. “I didn’t bring my umbrella, though.”

“No worries.” Lou stood up and helped her out of her seat. “We can share mine.”


	12. In The Street

The grocery store was only a block away from Le Chat Noir and two blocks from Lou's apartment. Lou and Debbie exited the coffee shop. Pausing under the awning, she pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when she turned to her companion. “Do you mind?” She didn’t want to bother her if she hated cigarette smoke.

Debbie shook her head in response. “No, it’s fine.” Her mother used to smoke as well. The scent of tobacco could be comforting at times, although she would never dream of smoking. Lou finished lighting her cigarette and took a drag.

“Well then,” she exhaled. She opened her umbrella and held it over them with her right hand. “Shall we?” She offered her her right arm. Debbie blushed as she shyly took her arm with her left hand.

It was going to take some time for her to become accustomed to Lou. Her affectionate, sweet-like behavior was completely foreign to her. Debbie was used to men who were completely self-centered, or were only interested in her body, or always seemed to think less of women. 

“So, Constance said that you’re a broadcast meteorologist?” The question interrupted Debbie's train of thought. She blinked and nodded. “How come I’ve never seen you on television?” Lou was completely baffled as to why they wouldn’t use such a beautiful, intelligent woman to present the weather.

“Because that’s Daphne's job,” Debbie smiled. She preferred to be behind the scenes. 

She nodded while she took another drag from her cigarette. “One of my friends, tried to set us up a while back.” Smoke blew out of her mouth as she exhaled. “It was one of the longest nights of my life.”

“In a good way or bad way?” They stopped walking for a moment as Lou mulled over her companion’s question. Could a long night be a good thing? She felt warmth spread in her cheeks when she realized what she meant.

Meanwhile, Debbie looked at her expectantly as she waited for an answer. She knew Daphne was a beautiful woman. Anyone with at least one eye could see that. The men and women at work always fawned over her. Lou was gorgeous enough to probably spend a night with Daphne… not that anyone knew anything about Daphne's love life.

Pushing away thoughts of what a good long night with Debbie would involve, Lou nearly coughed out her cigarette. Clearing her throat, she regained her composure. “Um… No. It was definitely in a bad way. Physical beauty does not equal a beautiful heart and Daphne was a prime example of that.” Somewhat relieved, Debbie smiled at her response. It was proof that she wasn’t shallow. They continued walking again.

As they turned the corner, Lou was about to compliment Debbie on her beauty, but she noticed that she was just staring ahead in shock. She immediately became concerned about her. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” She followed her line of sight but only saw the front of the grocery store with a few people outside. 

“It’s my ex-boyfriend.” Debbie spoke in a hushed voice. She looked like she was going to be sick.

“What, really? Where?” Lou looked back to the front of the store. “Which one is he?”

“The guy with the goatee and red scarf.” Debbie was cringing now. It had been over a year since they broke up, but she still didn’t feel like seeing him.

“The one with black hair?” Lou questioned. She saw a tall, slender guy dressed in jeans and a black jacket with the front zipped down, revealing a yellow t-shirt and a red scarf. Dark circles were visible under his eyes, giving him a look of exhaustion.

“Yes…” Debbie nodded. Lou could sense how uncomfortable she was. Putting out her cigarette, she switched the umbrella to her left hand. Wrapping her right arm around Debbie's waist, her hand grabbed her hip and pulled her close to her side.

“Should we make him jealous?” Lou whispered as she nuzzled against her ear. She smiled when she heard a sigh escape her lips. There was a faint scent of citrus in her hair. She resisted the strong urge to kiss her neck.

Debbie felt her cheeks burning. She closed her eyes, trying to regain her thoughts, but her mind was completely blank. Every nerve in her body seemed to be on fire. She needed something to hold on to. Reaching out, she grasped Lou's left hand that was holding the umbrella. Her body turned slightly towards her.

“Your hands are so warm.” She breathed against her neck. This may have been a mistake on her part. Lou had intended to help Debbie by making her ex jealous. Instead she was left wanting her more than ever. This was no dream. She couldn’t just embrace her and start making out with her in the street without consequences. Feeling how fast she was breathing and the warmth radiating off her body, she had to be turned on as well… right?

“Debbie?” The deep, bored voice snapped them both out of their aroused trance. They looked to see that her ex-boyfriend had approached them. Lou wanted to yell at him for interrupting such an intimate (and sexy) moment. Debbie stopped her by gently squeezing her hand.

“Claude!” She took a deep breath. Lou could feel that she was trying to calm her body. She still held on to her left hand. “How are you?”

“Fine, thanks.” His bored expression matched the boredom in his voice. Seeing him up close, Lou saw that the Claude guy had grey eyes. His face looked even more worn than when he was farther away. Is this guy strung out on something?

Claude noticed their close embrace. “You seem to be doing well.”

“Uh… yeah!” Debbie laughed nervously. “Claude, this is Lou Miller. Lou, this is Claude Becker.”

“Dr. Claude Becker,” the man corrected her. Lou only nodded out of courtesy as she held Debbie closer. What kind of pompous asshole is this and how dare he correct a lady!

Debbie felt her grip tighten on her waist. She tried to ignore her fingers pressing into her hip and the unbidden arousing images that came to mind as a result. Taking another deep breath, she turned to Claude again. “Lou co-owns All Blue and is a chef.” She smiled as she saw a way out of the interaction. “We’re actually on our way to the grocery store to get things to make dinner tonight.”

“Ah, that’s cool.” Claude's expression didn’t change. Nodding his head, he began to take his leave. “Take care, Debs”

Lou watched the man until he turned the corner. “What a weirdo.” Then she turned back to Debbie with a grin, “Now, where were we?” She was about to nuzzle her neck again, but she put her left hand to her mouth, stopping her advances.

Exhaling deeply, she smiled at her companion. “We need to buy groceries or else we are never going to get started with dinner.” Debbie felt her pout behind her hand and she could have sworn she heard her whimper. She giggled at her reaction. “Maybe if we can at least get that done, then I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek.”

Lou smiled behind her fingers and kissed them before pulling her mouth away. “Deal,” she said as she stood up straight again. Keeping her right hand on her hip, she led her towards the grocery store. “What did you ever see in that guy anyway?” she asked out of curiosity.

“I thought he was cool and had tattoos. He could never make room for me in his busy schedule though.” Debbie shrugged. “For a cardiac surgeon, he didn’t really know about matters of the heart.”


	13. Apartment 32

Grocery shopping wasn’t something that Debbie usually put much thought into. Generally, she would make a list of what items she needed and then go buy it. There were a few homemade dishes she would make for herself on occasion, but it was difficult to buy fresh produce without at least some of it going bad before she could use it. All of this made grocery shopping feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.

Upon entering the grocery store, Debbie unconsciously let out a discouraged sigh. Lou, on the other hand, was completely in her element. First she insisted they get a small cart rather than a hand basket. This made Debbie question exactly how much food they would be cooking. Then she grabbed a small bouquet of daffodils, which she claimed was important for dinner despite the fact that they would not be eating the flowers.

Now they were wandering in the produce section. “Was there anything you had in mind when you suggested dinner?” Debbie asked her. She would rather leave things to the professional chef than trying to plan a meal, but she didn’t want to spend all day in the store either.

“Why, was there something you were craving?” Lou grinned at her. Getting her mind out of the gutter, she cleared her throat. “I was thinking roast chicken, but I wanted to see if you had a preference for spices or vegetables.” Debbie shrugged and shook her head in response. She laughed. “You’re not making this easy for me, my dear.”

“You’re the chef,” she cunningly smiled. “I’m just your assistant, remember?” Was she trying to challenge her?

Challenge accepted. With her left hand on her hip, Lou quickly scanned the shelves of vegetables. She rubbed her chin with her right hand. Suddenly her clever smile from earlier returned. She turned her head towards Debbie. “Have you ever tried endives?”

…

Finished with buying the groceries, Lou and Debbie walked the two blocks back to Lou's apartment in the rain. The chef had decided on roast chicken with endives for dinner, and a chocolate orange tart for dessert. She insisted on carrying the bag of groceries and the umbrella as well. When Debbie tried to help her, she refused several times until she finally relinquished the bag carrying the daffodils and bottle of Bourgogne blanc wine, which from what she could tell was an expensive French Chardonnay. She couldn’t imagine paying so much just for a bottle of wine, but Lou expressed that it went extremely well with chicken and was “well worth the price.”

As they approached the apartment building, Debbie paused in surprise. Lou noticed her reaction. “What?” She hoped that there wasn’t another ex-boyfriend lurking somewhere… unless it involved trying to make them jealous.

“You live here?” She looked up at the floors of the building. It was one of the more upscale apartment buildings. She walked by it every weekday on her way to work.

“I hope the accommodations are acceptable to your tastes, miss.” She gave her a slight bow. “Now, if you don’t mind taking the umbrella so that I may get the door for you, I would greatly appreciate it.” She gave her a slightly annoyed look, but took the umbrella and closed it before Lou opened the door for her.

…

Taking the elevator to the third floor, they walked down the hallway to apartment 32. Lou would have usually taken the stairs, but she could never ask a guest to do the same. She still had the bag of groceries in her left arm as she unlocked her apartment door with her keys in her right hand. Debbie watched her with interest, especially since she offered to help her again and she still refused. “Do you always juggle things when trying to unlock your apartment?”

“Only when there is a lady named Debbie present.” She smiled as the lock clicked. Opening the door, she waved her arm inside. “After you, mademoiselle.”

Debbie suppressed a gasp in awe. There was a short tile entryway before stepping up into a clean, open, and very modern apartment. It had wood floors, which she guessed was bamboo, but she couldn’t be certain. She peeked around the corner of the entryway to the left to find what looked like the living room area furnished with a matching chocolate brown couch and chair. A large flat screen television was mounted to the wall.

“Shoes, please,” Lou said softly behind her as she closed the door. She turned to look at her and then looked down to see that she was at the edge of the tile entryway. Putting the bag of groceries down on the wooden floor, Lou removed her shoes and placed them in a shoe cabinet on the right wall of the area. From the same cabinet she grabbed a pair of dark blue hard-soled slippers and put them on.

Blushing, Debbie slid off her ballet flats to reveal black lace liners. She never had to remove her shoes in someone else’s house before… at least not that she could remember. “Ohhh, those are sexy,” Lou teased as she hung up her fleece jacket. She smiled when the blush in her cheeks grew darker. “Would you like a pair of slippers?”

“Yes, please,” she replied with a nod. She placed the bag with the daffodils and wine next to the one filled with groceries. Lou took out a black pair of hard-soled slippers similar to hers. Placing them on the wooden floor, she took Debbie's right hand and helped her while she stepped up into them. The slippers were a bit big on her feet. She figured they must have been a men’s size.

“I hope you don’t mind that they’re an old pair of my brother's.” Lou confirmed her thoughts. “Can I take your sweater and purse?” Debbie handed her her handbag and then removed her blue cardigan. Giving it to her with a smile, she turned, picked up the bag with the daffodils and wine, and began to wander into the apartment.

Lou took a slow, deep breath as she hung up her sweater. She didn’t realize how much of Debbie's curves the cardigan hid. In the two times she had seen her prior, she could tell she had a nice body, but none of her previous outfits clung to her like the short, grey, fitted, sleeveless jersey dress she was currently wearing. It took everything in her will power to remember her manners and not stare at her.

Moving further into the apartment, Debbie noticed a dining area directly to the right of the entryway. A dark wood, counter height table seating four filled the area. To the left of the dining area was a hallway that most likely led to a bedroom and bathroom. Left of the hallway entrance was the kitchen area. It was an impressive kitchen and Debbie guessed that it was probably why Lou chose the apartment. The area was tiled and granite countertops lined the wall, with glass tiles covering the backsplash. A large island separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment. All of the appliances were stainless steel. The stove was both extraordinary and intimidating, with a large matching range hood overhead.

“Don’t worry. It won’t bite.” Lou spoke in a low voice near her right ear. Debbie felt the warmth of her left hand on the small of her back briefly before she walked past her into the kitchen. Placing the bag of groceries on the island, she began to take out the various ingredients for their dinner. “It’s a little after noon. Would you like some lunch before we start?”

“As long as it’s no trouble.” Debbie approached the island. “What should I do with these?” She held up the bag with the wine and flowers.

“I’ll take the wine,” Lou gently took the bag from her and removed the bottle. Then taking out the daffodils, she handed them to her. “Would you mind putting these in the glass vase on the table and fill it with some water?” Debbie hadn’t noticed the vase in the center of the table. Picking up the glass piece and walking back into the kitchen, she went to the sink to fill it with water.

“Do you often have flowers as a centerpiece for dinner?” She asked as she turned on the tap. They were almost back-to-back with Lou at the island and her at the sink.

“Again, only when there is a lady named Debbie present.” She replied with a smile, although she knew she couldn’t see it. Having their backs facing each other made her feel a bit braver. “I really like your dress, by the way,” she commented.

Debbie softly chuckled in response. “Thank you. I really wasn’t planning on going anywhere aside from the coffee shop.” She turned off the tap and smiled. “I didn’t know that you would be there.”

“I’m glad I was,” Lou replied.

“Me too,” she said quietly.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Neither one could move. Debbie paused with her hand on the sink tap. Lou had long finished taking out the groceries and was hanging onto the counter ledge. Her head hung forward in thought as she imagined various romantic scenarios that could occur if she could just turn around.

Debbie held her breath, waiting to see if she would make a move. She had been so affectionate towards her earlier. She noticed her reaction when she removed her cardigan. Was she afraid of her now?

Squeezing her eyes shut, Lou took a deep breath and sighed. The groceries still had to be put away or else they would spoil, especially the chicken. She also needed to make lunch. Her pride as a chef was at stake if dinner was ruined. At that moment, she made a bargain with herself that she had to focus on making dinner for her first. If she liked dinner, then she could try to kiss her afterwards.


	14. Preparations

Focus on dinner first. Lou sighed. That didn’t mean she had to completely ignore her though, right? She turned around to face Debbie, but was surprised to see that she was already facing her. The vase full of daffodils was in her left hand. Taking hold of her arm, she leaned up and gently kissed her on the cheek. “What was that for?” Her voice was quiet.

Debbie smiled at her. “For getting the groceries,” she replied and then went to put the full vase of flowers on the table. Lou touched her cheek where she kissed her. She had almost forgotten their deal at the grocery store earlier. “Can I help you put them away?” She walked back into the kitchen.

“I would appreciate that.” She gave her a wide, happy grin.

…

After putting away the groceries and sharing an artichoke spread sandwich for lunch, Lou and Debbie began to plan for dinner while drinking tea. Lou had a pen and note pad out as she wrote down what food would be prepared and when. Debbie could tell that she was a professional. This wasn’t her first time preparing a dinner, even if it was just for two people.

“We should probably start the tart first, that way it will have enough time to chill before dessert. When we finish that, then we can start the chicken. The endives will be cooked last.” She sighed as she started getting the dry ingredients for the tart out of the closet pantry. “It’s times like this I wish I had a double wall oven. Then we could bake the tart and chicken simultaneously without having to worry about different temperatures, cooking times, or flavors mixing.”

Debbie wrinkled her nose at the thought of a chicken flavored chocolate orange tart. “They actually make ovens like that for homes?” She helped by taking the ingredients from her and placing them on the counter. “I thought they only had them in restaurants.”

“Yeah,” Lou confirmed as she went to the fridge next. She passed her a carton of eggs. “If I ever own my own place, that’s the first thing I’m going to make sure it has… Well, that and a decent walk-in pantry.”

“You don’t want to stay here?” Debbie was curious as to why she wouldn’t want to stay in such a nice apartment. Her apartment wasn’t anywhere near the size of Lou's, but she hadn’t considered moving or trying to buy a home. What was the point for one person to own a home? She hated cleaning and couldn’t see herself having to clean a whole house by herself, not to mention the maintenance that would come with it.

Lou was grateful that her face was hidden behind the refrigerator door. She could feel it burn with embarrassment. “This place is nice if you’re single, but it’s hardly ideal for a family. I don’t even know if it would be enough room for a couple.”

“Now that you mention it, you didn’t show me the rest of the apartment yet.” Debbie leaned over the island counter as she tried to peek down the hallway to the left. Lou happened to glance at her while she was bent over the island and quickly hid back behind the refrigerator door. “How many bedrooms do you have?”

Don’t ask that right now! Lou pinched her nose. Her question was innocent enough, but the bedroom was the last thing she wanted to think of after seeing her in that position. Calm down, calm down, calm down… She took a deep, unsteady breath. “Well, technically two, but I use one of them as an office.”

“That’s much more space than I have.” Debbie looked amused when she finally closed the refrigerator door. She couldn’t have been in there that long to just look for the butter and an orange. She could still sense when someone was checking her out. Putting her hands behind her back, she feigned innocence. “Do you want to show them to me?”

The split-second look of shock on Lou's face almost made her start laughing. She was going to be fun to tease, which she decided wasn’t cruel because she could already tell that she liked her… immensely. Flustered and blushing, she finally stumbled out a response. “Um… Maybe later.”

…

The tart was finally in the oven. Debbie didn’t think it would ever get in the oven after the amount of chilling and baking the crust took alone. Now she could understand why Lou wanted to start preparing dinner 4 hours ahead of when they would actually be eating. Still, she enjoyed watching her cook, especially when she made the marbled effect between the chocolate and orange fillings.

While the tart was baking in the oven, Lou began to get the ingredients out for the chicken. “Is there anything you want me to do?” Debbie had helped with the tart, but now she felt like she wasn’t much use where the chicken was concerned.

“If you wouldn’t mind taking the tart out when it’s ready, that would be a huge help.” Lou smiled as she began to season the chicken. “I don’t want to be near our dessert if I’ve just been handling raw chicken.”

Just then the timer dinged and Debbie looked to the oven. Putting on oven mitts, she pulled out the dessert. Lou couldn’t help checking her out as she did so. Debbie wearing slippers, too big for her feet, and oven mitts while holding a dessert was an image that she would enjoy dreaming about. The only thing missing was an apron… and maybe if she were naked under said apron. She shook his head, stopping there. 

“If you wouldn’t mind putting the tart on the cooling rack, we’ll wait for it to cool before putting it in the fridge to chill.” Lou explained. Debbie did as she was told. “You can also keep the oven on,” she added. “The chicken is ready to go in next.”

…

Now came the wait. The chicken had to be cooked in intervals and at varying temperatures. The first round required the bird to be turned twice while cooking for 30 minutes. Currently they were in the second round, in which it had to cook for 20 minutes at a lower temperature. Lou asked Debbie to get a bottle of red wine out as she chopped onions and shallots for the next step.

“So, do you usually cook at home?” Debbie put the bottle of red wine on the counter as Lou washed her hands. Leaning with her back against the island, she briefly wondered how her hands weren’t dried out from the amount of washing she had to do while cooking.

“Hmm…” She seemed to be thinking it over before giving her answer. “I guess it depends on what day it is and if I’m working or not.”

“How so?” If Debbie could cook then she would always eat at home. It would definitely save money.

“Well, I often have breakfast at home.” She nodded as she thought about it. “But as far as lunch and dinner are concerned, I’ll usually eat at work if I’m there.”

“What if it’s your day off?” Debbie blurted out the question without thinking. She was curious if she would get to see her at the café again on Wednesday.

Drying her hands with a towel, Lou considered her question. “Well… Today is one of my days off. We’ve already had lunch here and we’ll be eating dinner here.”

Debbie unconsciously began to pout a little. She really wanted to see her again. “Then again,” she interrupted her thoughts, “I’ve also gone out to grab something for lunch before.” A sly smile pulled at the corner of her lips, “but you already knew that.” She let out a small laugh as she blushed. Lou watched her reaction with a deep fondness. Taking a step towards her, she decided to ask, “So, what was that neck move you did in the café?” Her tone was playful.

“Oh God, that was embarrassing!” She covered her face, but Lou could see the bright red in her cheeks. Her smile grew.

“No, please. I was wondering if I could see it again.” She watched her intently.

“Ugh, it’s really silly, but my friend Tammy taught it to me,” she explained. She took a deep breath and turned her side towards her, resting her right hand on the counter for balance. “You’re supposed to reach behind your head and pull your hair to the other side, exposing your neck and…”

Her words trailed off when she felt the warmth of Lou's body pressed behind her. Her right hand rested on top of hers while her left caressed her hip. She grazed her lips from the base of her neck to her earlobe. “And?” she whispered in her ear.

Debbie could barely think through the arousal currently overwhelming her body. “It’s…” Her breath was coming so fast that she could barely get out the words. “It’s supposed to attract attention.”

“It’s very effective.” Lou breathed the words against her ear. The soft moan she received in response thrilled her. Her lips ran along her neck again and she thought of when she first saw her in the café. At the time she had pondered what her skin would taste like under her tongue. Just as the tip of her tongue met the softness of her neck, the timer on the oven dinged.

“It’s the chicken.” Debbie let out a deep breath. It was crazy how fast she could get a reaction out of her, but where she was uncomfortable with that thought in the coffee shop, she now decided that it wasn’t a bad thing. It definitely was not bad at all.

Lou closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the scent of citrus pleasantly filling her senses. A soft, frustrated groan came from her throat. She wanted to say, “Fuck the chicken!” She wanted her. The oven dinged again and she let out a defeated sigh. Kissing her hair, she then leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Until later.”


	15. Hunger

“Until later…” The promise softly vibrated in her ear, causing a pleasant shiver of excitement. Then the warmth of her body was gone. Debbie turned to see Lou adding the chopped onions and shallots to the pan with the roast chicken. She then put the pan back in the oven and set the timer. “Okay, this time it needs to cook for 10 minutes.” 

When Lou turned back to Debbie, she felt the strange pull in her heart again. It was stronger than any urge she ever had. She wanted to hold her, kiss her, and take her to her bedroom where she could take her time exploring every part of her. Instead she was tending to this damn chicken in the oven only because she wanted to impress her and she didn’t want to ruin dinner. She sighed, trying to hide her inner turmoil. “Do you mind if I go smoke outside really quick?”

“No, go ahead.” Debbie gently smiled at her. The agitation was visible in her face. She was trying so hard to make sure that dinner was properly made, but if she felt the same way she did at the moment, she knew she was craving something other than food. “Is there anything you want me to do in here?”

Lou looked at the oven. “I don’t think I’ll be that long, but if the timer goes off, could you add the red wine to the pan?” She smiled when she nodded in reply. “Thank you,” Lou said softly as she made her way to the sliding glass door that led out to the balcony.

…

As soon as Lou stepped outside and closed the door, she took a deep breath of the cool late afternoon air. The pounding of her heart felt like it was moving into her throat. What’s she doing to me? She quickly took out a cigarette while trying not to think of the feel of her hip under her hand, the warmth of her body pressed against her, or the sound of her soft moan in response to her touch. Closing her eyes, she lit her cigarette and took a deep drag. She exhaled while listening to the sound of the rain hitting the cover over her balcony.

No one had ever had this effect on her before. She remembered Constance's words from the dinner party Friday night. “Or is this just you blindly chasing after yet another woman?” Sure, Lou had a weakness for women and she would gladly cater to them if possible, but Debbie was on a completely different level. Spending the day with her, she couldn’t see how anyone would call her manipulative or cruel. She was beautiful, kind, gentle, playful, and now Lou's heart ached with a longing to get to know her even more. One day with her wouldn’t be enough time to satiate her appetite.

Did Debbie feel the same? Would she allow her the chance to see her again after tonight? Finishing the last of her cigarette, Lou decided that she had to try. That was probably why this dinner was so important to her. She wanted to secure the chance to see her again.

…

Entering the apartment, Lou was greeted with the warm smell of roast chicken. At least nothing was burnt. “Ah! Good timing!” She looked up to see Debbie at the oven with the red wine. “The timer had just gone off and I added the wine, but I wasn’t sure if the temperature should be lowered.”

Walking up to her side, she put her right hand on the small of her back and lowered the cooking temperature with her left. Closing the oven, she set the timer for 15 minutes. “Thank you,” she softly nuzzled her hair while she took the wine from her with her left hand and placed it on the counter. Was she suddenly getting bolder? 

“You’re welcome,” Debbie blushed as she replied. There was the faint scent of tobacco and rain on her. Without realizing it, her body turned towards her. Her hands rested on Lou's shoulder, feeling the damp humidity in her Top. “You feel cold,” she quietly noted. “Is it still raining?”

“Yes,” Lou replied, her nose was still nestled in her hair. Her left arm wrapped around her back while her right hand gently pressed Debbie's hips into hers. There was a small gasp near her ear and she grinned. “Do you want to warm me up?”

She hadn’t intended to be so forward and, for a moment, fear of rejection gripped her heart… That is, until she felt Debbie's hands slide up from her shoulders to the back of her neck. Slender fingers tenderly raked up through her hair. Soft lips grazed and pulled at her earlobe. “I don’t think 15 minutes is long enough for what I want to do,” she purred in her ear.

Lou's breath caught in her throat in shock. She closed her eyes and sighed when she felt her place a kiss under her ear. “But I also know how much work has gone into making this dinner,” Debbie continued. She pulled her face back enough so that she could look at er. Brushing her lower lip with her thumb, her gaze shifted from her mouth to blue eyes. “It would be a shame if it was ruined, right?”

With a slight frown, Lou nodded. Debbie gave her a reassuring smile. “So, until after dinner, you can have this.” She leaned in and gently kissed her. The contact was unexpectedly overpowering. Craving more, Debbie leaned in again and soon gentle kisses turned passionate.

Overcome with desire, Lou pulled Debbie's body against hers. Grabbing her hips, she briefly considered taking her on the island counter, but that wouldn’t be very romantic for a first time at all. She shouldn't have been thinking about that at a time like this anyways. If she couldn’t regain control soon, then dinner would most definitely be ruined. She felt her tongue caress hers, causing her to let out a short moan into her mouth. “Debbie…” There was a yearning in her voice that called to her a deep level.

Suddenly, the oven timer dinged again. Seeming to remember the task at hand, they slowly pulled away from each other. Both were panting with arousal. Debbie leaned with her back against the island to support the shaking in her legs. Her cheeks were flushed. “Wow,” she whispered.


	16. Un dîner pour deux

The oven timer dinged, signaling that the chicken was done. Lou leaned against the counter across from Debbie. Her eyes were closed as she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her body. The plan had been that she was going to attempt to kiss her after dinner, and only if she enjoyed the meal. She didn’t think that Debbie would be kissing her first.

She could still feel the warmth of her lips, the softness of her tongue, and the curves of her body… Stop! She was trying to calm her arousal, not get turned on even more. “Wow,” she heard Debbie whisper. Lou had to smile in response, even with her eyes still closed. She must have felt the same.

Debbie hung onto the island counter across from Lou and breathed deeply as she tried to stop the trembling in her body. She had planned on only giving her a gentle kiss to satisfy her before dinner. Little did she know how much more she would crave her after having a small taste.

The timer dinged again. When Lou felt calm enough, she opened her eyes and went to the oven. She cleared her throat, focusing on dinner. “The chicken is done, but I need to cook the endives. That won’t take long though.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Debbie approached her. Lou gently placed her outstretched hand on her shoulder, holding her at arm’s length. She feared that if she let her get any closer, she would no longer be able to control herself and would most definitely be carrying her to the bedroom, dinner be damned.

“We’re going to need plates and wine glasses. Oh, and we’ll also need the Bourgogne blanc. It should be chilled by now.” She went to the fridge to get out the endives and wine while Debbie found the cabinet with the dishes. Lou placed the wine on the counter for her, then reached into one of the lower cabinets to pull out a fry pan. She quartered the endives and placed them in the pan with water, butter, and white wine vinegar. Then she added a bit of sugar, salt, and black pepper.

While braising the endives, Lou snuck a glance at Debbie as she set up the wine and glasses at the dinner table. She smiled, thanking whatever fate, luck, or chance she was able to be in the coffee shop at the same time as her that morning. Even if the night were to end horribly now, at least she could say that she got the chance to talk to her.

…

Dinner was served. Braised endives accompanied the roasted chicken carved by Lou. Debbie picked up her wine glass. “I feel like we should toast to something. What should we toast to?”

“To us?” Lou offered.

Debbie shook her head. “Too cheesy.”

“To you?” Lou smiled.

Debbie laughed. “That’s even cheesier.”

“Okay…” Lou thought for a moment. “To Le Chat Noir, because if we both hadn’t been there this morning, then we wouldn’t be having this dinner together right now.”

Debbie smiled and nodded. She couldn’t argue with that. “To Le Chat Noir.” Their glasses clinked in cheers.

Lou picked up her silverware, but she watched Debbie with great interest. She wanted to see her reaction. Would she like the meal or not? As she took a bite of the chicken, Lou noticed a similar reaction to when she ate the salmon she prepared in the restaurant. Surprise, pleasure, and then joy all flashed across her face. “Well?” She smiled at her. “What do you think?”

“It’s delicious! This is the best chicken I’ve ever tasted,” she commented in awe. Satisfied with her response, she took a bite of her own. The chicken was excellent, of course.

“Just make sure you leave room for dessert as well.” Lou took a sip of her wine and tried not to think about the personal dessert she wanted for later. She didn’t really have a taste for sweets, but Debbie would definitely be an exception.

…

“Ah, that was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.” Debbie sat back in her chair as she finished her second glass of wine. Lou had been right. The Bourgogne blanc was excellent with the chicken and ended up being worth the price.

“Only ‘one of the best’ that you’ve had?” Lou smiled as she cleared the dishes from table. She walked into the kitchen area to put them in the sink.

Debbie hopped out of her chair, grabbing the empty wine glasses and following her into the kitchen. “Well, the other one was the salmon dish at your restaurant.” She thought for a moment. “The Orange Martini was really good as well.”

Lou laughed. “I’ll have to let Nineball know that you liked it.” She rinsed off the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher.

“Nineball?” She handed her the wine glasses.

“The bartender at the restaurant,” Lou clarified. “She's an asshole but she's also a good friend. I picked the Orange Martini to go with your meal. She made it.”

Debbie leaned on the counter next to the sink and rested her chin in her right hand as she watched Lou rinse out dishes. “I think I noticed her checking Tammy out when we were leaving the dinner party. Her name is Nineball?”

Lou shook her head. “Her name is really Leslie but don’t tell her that I referred to her by name.”

“Do you have any other friends that work at the restaurant?” She wasn’t sure why, but Debbie found hearing about Lou's friends interesting. She went on to tell her about Rose, the waitress who was eating the turkey leg. Then there was Amita, who was the hostess and manager of the wait staff. Amita was actually the one who tipped Lou off that Debbie was at the dinner party.

“And, of course you know Constance,” she added. She was now putting a portion of the chicken and endives into a storage container before storing the rest in the fridge. Debbie noticed that she put a portion of the tart in a storage container as well.

“Yeah,” she replied, staring at the storage container. She looked to Lou. “Is she afraid of everyone, or is it just me? She always seems nervous around me.”

Lou gave her a sideways glance while she tried to think of the best way to respond. Debbie was very intelligent and could see through any lies or flattery. She sighed. “Well... Constance is a bit intimidated by you.”

Debbie couldn’t help pouting a bit. “That’s weird. I’ve never been rude or mean to her.”

“Oh, it’s definitely not you,” Lou confirmed as she finished wiping down the counters. “I guess the people at your work are just afraid of you because you’ve never given them a chance when they tried asking you out. That’s just common sense not to date in the workplace.”

“Of course.” Debbie nodded. “Allen, one of my first supervisors, once told me, ‘Don’t dip your honey where you make your money.’ I don’t understand why they would be afraid of me for that.”

Lou brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “’Don’t dip your honey where you make your money.’ I don’t think I’ve heard that one before.” She chuckled. “Allen sounds like an interesting guy.”

“He was an old pervert who always tried to look at my panties,” Debbie replied as she stood up straight again. Lou started laughing. “That advice was probably the only useful thing he ever said to me.”

“Well…” Lou walked up to her, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I can’t really blame him for wanting to see your panties.” She playfully reached down with her right hand and began to slowly lift the hem of her short, fitted dress. “I’m a bit curious myself,” she spoke in a hushed voice.

Giving her a mischievous smile, Debbie grabbed her wrist, stopping her ascent. “You’ll just have to wait and see if I show them to you,” she teased. With a flirtatious look, she released the hem and slid her hand up her thigh to her hip.

As Lou stood up straight again, she noticed on the wall clock that it was almost 8pm. “It’s starting to get late.” She looked back to her. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

Debbie nodded, crestfallen. She wanted to spend more time with her. The day had gone by too quickly. “I should probably get home,” she said quietly.

She wasn’t enthused, but Lou understood. “I’ll walk you home.” It was a statement, not an offer. It was still raining, Debbie didn’t have her umbrella, and she would have never let her walk home at night unaccompanied.

…

Lou walked with Debbie to the coffee shop they met at earlier. “You live here?” She wasn’t aware that there were apartments above Le Chat Noir. Now that it was pointed out to her, she noticed a stairwell entrance near the café windows.

“It’s not as fancy as your apartment, but I like it.” Debbie looked up to her small balcony. Thankfully she did the laundry the day before. Nothing would have dried in the rain that had been falling all day.

“Do you mind if I walk you up?” Lou knew that her apartment building was probably safe, but she wanted to make sure that she got inside her place without any trouble. It would have been rude to just leave her.

Debbie agreed and they walked up to the second floor. Lou watched as she put her keys in the deadbolt. When the door was unlocked, she turned to her. “I had a lot of fun today,” she blushed. Why was she having difficulty making eye contact with her?

“Me too,” Lou replied. She could feel her heart beating faster. “Can I see you again sometime?” The fear of rejection was still tight in her chest even after hearing that she enjoyed spending time with her.

“Of course!” She looked up at her and then shyly looked away. “I would like that.” It was unlike her to feel so bashful. Was she anticipating something?

“Alright then,” Lou smiled. She gently tilted her chin up as her left arm pulled her closer. Her heart was pounding. Looking into her brown eyes, she whispered, “Goodnight.” Leaning down, she softly kissed her.

Turning to leave, she heard Debbie's voice. “Lou, wait!” There was a pull on her left arm and she spun around to be met with her lips pressed against hers. Her left hand had a firm grip on the back of her neck.

It only took a moment for Lou to get over her initial surprise. Her hands snuck underneath her cardigan, holding her body against hers as she returned her kiss. Pressing her into the apartment door, she instinctively pushed her hips against hers. Debbie gasped and Lou moved to her neck, finally tasting her skin with her tongue.

Reaching for the handle behind her with her left hand, Debbie opened the door and pulled Lou into her apartment. The door closed behind her. They pulled at each other’s clothing as they made their way through the living room. Lou's jacket ended up on the back of a chair. Debbie's sweater was on the floor by the couch.

Once they reached her bedroom, Debbie grabbed Lou's Top and pulled it off while she kicked off her shoes. With her left arm around her waist, Lou grabbed the back of Debbie's thigh with her right hand, lifting her up and putting her down on the bed. The room was dark, but she could see her fine from the streetlights outside as she looked down at her. Leaning down, she kissed her. Her tongue gently caressed Debbie's while her right hand slid up the outside of her thigh, under the skirt of her dress, to the soft skin of her hips.

Feeling the lace fabric of her panties with her fingertips, Lou blinked and suddenly realized their situation. She had been so overcome with lust, she didn’t even stop to consider Debbie's thoughts or feelings. What if she didn’t want this? What if she was going to regret this?

“Debbie…” Her voice came out low between breaths. Her thumb grazed back and forth over her hip under her dress. Carefully watching her expression underneath her, she continued. “Are you… Are you sure you want to…”

A finger came to her lips, hushing her. She looked into her eyes. Her hushed voice spoke with complete clarity. “If there is ever anything that doesn’t feel right between us, I will tell you.” She took a breath, “and I expect you to do the same. Agreed?” Lou nodded in response. There was a faint smile on her lips. “I don’t want to stop right now.” A small trace of worry flashed in her eyes. “Do you?” When Lou shook her head ‘no’, she sighed in relief.

With a smile, she pulled her finger away with her left hand. Giving it a gentle bite she turned back to her. “Now, where were we…”


End file.
